Cyclist Sustains Minor Injuries After Being Hit By 5-Fulton Bus

According to eyewitness statements reported by the SF Weekly and the Chronicle, a 5-Fulton bus collided with a cyclist this morning on Market Street and the driver refused to stop, despite pleas by passengers to stay at the scene of the crash.

The collision occurred at 8:30 a.m., with the rear tires of the bus rolling over the front tires of the bicycle, according to MTA spokesperson Judson True. The cyclist was transported to SF General, though True clarified that she was not run over by the bus.

He said it was still unclear how the cyclist and the bus collided, if the cyclist fell on her own and then her bicycle was run over, or if another scenario occurred. He did make clear that the driver should have stopped and remained on the scene if he had been warned of the crash. "The Muni driver did not stop, but was identified by eyewitnesses and another Muni bus that was trailing the first one," said True.

The driver was placed on standard leave to undergo drug and alcohol testing, per agency protocol.

the bus driver should be fired for not stopping. if you hit something, you stop. simple. hit and run — presumably it should be against the law to hit a bike and run, too, right?

buses need to be cleared off market — first push them into the middle lane, then re-route them to other streets. then build more streetcar lines and get rid of buses altogether.

let’s please hear from all the people who think it’s a good idea for buses to chase down bikers in bus/bike lanes. Bueller?

David

As a cyclist, my experience has been that after taxi drivers, bus drivers are the most aggressive and least willing to give me space on the road.

http://www.livablestreets.com/people/fourmajor Stuart Matthews

Yeah I really don’t understand why buses on Market use the outside lanes at all. There are some that use the middle lanes, but some lines don’t. There are all those transit islands. It is hell being chased down by an aggressive bus on Market.

http://unethicalblogger.com R. Tyler Ballance

This is unreal, I’m pretty sure I was cycling in front of *this* No. 5 this morning, which was bouncing back and forth between lanes on Market St.

I honestly considered exchanging words with the driver at a red light because the bus was following me way to closely.

Peter Smith

i don’t know if this sounds odd, but i’d like to see interviews with the survivors of pedestrian and bike crashes (and with the surviving family members and friends when the victim dies).

it’d be valuable for various reasons — there’s the learning aspect, but there’s also the humanizing aspect, the political aspect, the community aspect, the human-interest/entertainment aspect (as dubious as that may be, morally), etc.

some people won’t want to be known/interviewed — fine — but if they’re open to it, i’d love to hear about it.

the people who are setting the policies in this city should have to face the victims — and victims’ families and friends — of their car-centric policies. we can and should have a zero tolerance policy towards motorized-vehicle-against-human/bike collisions. some ‘wo/man on the street’ reporting might help us get there.

I do like the profiles i’ve been seeing of regular bus riders, etc.

Dave

How come there is no mention (did I miss it?) of hit-and-run felony charges?

Are bus drivers exempted from the law?

tea

This hit-and-run definitely will not be helping the image of MUNI drivers. Bring on the ballot measure, Sean!

Richard Mlynarik

Muni hates you.
It’s one thing that management the unions can agree to do.

Now about that TWU-250A work rules and wages welfare program…

Nick

Sounds more like attempted murder than an “accident”. And how can one not have the decency or sense of obligation to stop?

The MTA should add this to their set of ideas to balance their budget. Save $60,000+ a year by getting rid of this person.

MuniMan2260

As a Muni Operator, currently deployed with the US Army, I truly can not understand why this operator did not stop. Even if the operator had no idea that there’ed been a collision, the passengers told him/her that contact had been made with a cyclist. This drivers (I’m not going to even get into company training methods) lack of basic human compassion witch should have moved him/her to stop the coach and investigate, render aid and do the right thing. There is no and “I mean no excuse” for this operators actions. I can not speak for MUNI, nor opinionate for them, I’m just saying as an operator that’s operating along the Market Street Corridor every day, It is not only his/her job but it’s his/her duty to conduct him/her selfs in a manner that reflect good standards and profesonelisim (sorry for the incorrect spellings) at all times. Just my opinion.

http://anmar.baitalmal.com/ Anmar Baitalmal

I was there at the Subway in the picture when the tire popped.. One police car was almost pushing the bicycle and a cop held it to the sidewalk..

R

A I love you and am so glad you are okay

-R

Daniel CG

Man, my younger sister is so hardcore, she can defy death on a Wednesday!